"Honedge is unable to battle! Manectric wins the round!" Ebony raises her right hand towards Wattson. "Gym Leader Wattson is the victor!" The dark-skinned girl glanced over to the fallen Pokemon. It looked so pitiful, lying like that, defeated. She felt sad for it. Gabe wasn't looking too good either, he had a down-in-the-dumps look about him. She wanted to go to him, but already Wattson was walking across the battlefield to him.

He put a hand on the boy's shoulders and gave him a big smile. "That was an excellent battle. You clearly care about your Pokemon - it shows with how you battle. However your Honedge's ability is a double-edged sword. In practiced hands, it is an incredibly powerful ability, but can end up disastrous if you are unprepared. You must be able to protect your Pokemon from attacks even when dodging them is impossible. Chin up, young man. You did very well for your first gym battle. I'll be here at the same time tomorrow, waiting for you to challenge me again."

Wattson glanced over at the bleachers, where the other trainers were sitting. He saw Melanie sitting there and grinned at her. "You were also a challenger for today, weren't you miss? Come down and introduce yourself - I like to know my challengers personally!"

One right after the other? Wattson sure didn't like messing around for someone who liked to mess around a lot. Ebony shook her gaze off of Gabe and sat down on the field to wait. Refereeing for Wattson was fun and all, but she wanted to do other stuff. Going on an adventure seemed like so much fun. Maybe she would start challenging gyms - though she knew better than to start at Wattson's gym after never having beaten him.

The battle between Wattson and Gabe sent Melanie's heart down to her stomach. Just watching the match was intimidating for a couple of reasons. First, the Voltorb's Shockwave attack. The Pawniard had no chance to dodge it and it was a particularly dexterous Pokémon already! She knew she didn't have anything nearly that fast on her team – if the older boy's partner could not dodge it then nothing could. Second, the fact that Manetric so easily obliterated a Pokémon as strong as that Honedge. True, she had never seen one before and did not really have enough experience to tell it was incredibly strong, but to fell a gym leader's Pokémon with one attack meant it had to be powerful. As much as the older twin wanted to believe that her Pokémon were that strong, she knew they still had quite a bit of work to do before that became the case.

She would have sat in the stands frozen after Wattson implored her to join him and finally introduce herself had it not been for Merrick. He nudged her and flashed another gigawatt smile. "No need to worry," he encouraged her as he helped her get to her feet. "That was an intense battle, but you're gonna give him an even better one," he whispered as they descended from the stands. Melanie's legs felt like jelly, but she tried to walk with confidence. Merrick believed in her. Even if she messed up, this could not possibly go horribly wrong, right?

"H-hello, Mr. Wattson," she greeted somewhat smoothly, offering him her hand, "my name is Melanie Hoschild. I'm from Goldenrod City. A-and this is my twin brother, Merrick." She indicated her brother with her thumb, he waved and shot another one of his Merrick brand smiles at the gym leader. Melanie mentally kicked herself. If Merrick could stay this calm in front of Wattson then so could she. Like he had said, no need to worry. She allowed herself a breath. "I would like to sincerely thank you for allowing me to watch your last battle. It was incredible! A-and I want to thank you for allowing me to challenge you."

– – – – –

Percy glanced over to the girl who seemed to be singing to him. His Umbreon stopped short. Percy stumbled but managed to regain his balance against one of the invisible walls. She wanted him to help her? "I was trying to find the way back to the entrance," he admitted, "this place is fucking sketchy." The Dark-type at his feet took this as a signal to continue moving. When Percy didn't immediately follow along, however, he stopped again and quickly returned to the male's side. He seemed to deliberate helping the girl and the Umbreon knew what would be said next. "I'll help you though," he continued, "since we both got stuck in here we might as well get the prize that wackjob is offering. Narcissus, lead the way, please."

“It’s my pleasure!” Wattson booms, clasping hands with Melanie. “It’s great to meet you both. Lets get our little party started, shall we?” Wattson grinned again and stepped back towards the other end of the battlefield once more. He paused to glance at Ebony, who sat on the ground, twiling her fingers in the dirt field. “Look sharp, Ebony! One more battle for us to do today, then the rest is yours!”

“I know that,” Ebony said. She stood up and waited for the gym leader and Melanie to take up their positions, and for Merrick to return to the bleachers. She knew the two Pokemon Wattson was going to use for this battle, would Melanie have enough to take both of them down?

As soon as everyone was set, Ebony raised her hand. “The battle between Gym Leader Wattson and the challenger Melanie will now commence! Each trainer may use only two Pokemon each. When both Pokemon on either side is unable to battle, the match will be over. Furthermore, only the challenger may switch out her Pokemon!”

“Thank you for doing it properly, Ebony!” Wattson called out to her. She grimaced a little and gave him a light glare.

“Let the battle begin!”

“Magnemite, you’re up first!” Wattson threw his Pokeball out into the field. After a bright flash of light, the magnet Pokemon revealed itself, hovering several inches above the field. It twirled its magnets and twisted the screw on its head quickly, eager to get into the fight. “This one is a bit excitable! I hope you don’t mind!”

“N-not at all!” Melanie responded shakily, her hand hovering over the two Pokeballs she had chosen for this battle. Would it be better to start with Cyndaquil or Oddish? Oddish had a resistance to electricity, but what if Wattson’s second Pokemon was incredibly strong like his Manectric? She hesitated a moment before grabbing one and tossing it up. In a flash of light, Cyndaquil appeared on the field and shook a little. “Okay, Chopin, you’re my first choice! Let’s do our best!” Her gaze shifted to Wattson. “D-do you want me to make the first move too?”

“I always believe in the saying ‘ladies first!’” Wattson boomed, gesturing towards her, allowing Melanie to take the first move. He would wait for her before countering however he needed to.

“A-alright! Chopin let’s start things off with Smokescreen!” Melanie commanded, watching as the little Fire-type took a deep breath before shooting out a bunch of smog from his tiny maw. It quickly began to fill the arena and obscure the battlefield. “Now, follow up with Dig! Quickly!” she added forcibly, watching as the Cyndaquil hesitated a moment before quickly burrowing into the field below. The smog began to clear.“Magnemite! Use Sonicboom into the hole made by Cyndaquil!” Wattson ordered. The little magnet Pokemon quickly hovered over to the hole made by Chopin, started weaving its magnets around and blew a stream of powerful energy down into the hole. The ground cracked from the force of the sound waves. “Use Thunder Wave when it comes back up!” The magnet rose up into the air even further, charging electricity through its magnets, prepared to blast the Cyndaquil wherever it appeared.

“C-Chopin! Watch out!” Melanie cried, to no avail it seemed as the Fire Mouse was forced up from its place in the ground. He was left unable to do anything to defend himself from the attack his foe was preparing. “No!”

“Keep calm, Mel,” Merrick called out from the stands. “Remember what I said, no need to worry!” Melanie shook her head, not responding to her younger brother. He frowned. “You’ve got this, it’s not over yet!”

Selena watched from the sidelines, seeing the battle progress and not really seeing anything interesting, not like with Gabe. She stood up, stretched, and started moving away from the bleachers. She would sit in the lounge for now, wait for Wattson to finish up this last match. Mawile seemed confused that she would move when the battle was still going on, but followed her trainer anyway, sparing only pity glances at the Cyndaquil.

Things weren’t looking good. Melanie knew she would have to do something and fast. “L-let’s try Swagger!” she called out, uncertain of how to recover from the skillful counter that Wattson employed. Chopin struggled but managed to send a glowing red aura around the Magnemite’s body. She couldn’t fully tell if the effects would work, but at least Chopin had been able to get the move off!

“Now Flame Wheel!” She exclaimed, hoping to prevent a counter before it could happen. Her spirits fell instantly when Chopin seemed unable to move.

“Easy there, Magnemite!” Wattson called up to his Pokemon. Its behavior was growing more and more erratic and angry. The swagger did a number on it, but eventually the Pokemon was able to calm down and regain enough control to listen to Wattson again. “Hit it with Magnet Bomb!” The Magnemite twisted its magnets around and created several small balls of steel orbs, firing them at the paralyzed Cyndaquil.

“DODGE IT!” Melanie shouted, clearly starting to lose her cool. Of course, much to her dismay, the steel orbs struck the Fire Mouse directly and sent it flying. Melanie’s eyes began to well with tears. “W-what?” she whimpered, unable to fully comprehend what just happened. “Chopin! C-come back!”

“Switching out, are we?” Ebony mused from where she stood. “I’m pretty sure that was a critical hit.”

“Okay. Calm down. You can do this.” Melanie swapped Chopin’s Pokeball for the other one at her hip. “Reed, I need you to help me turn this around. Let’s go!” she called out with fervor, tossing the Grass-type Pokemon’s ball up into the air. A flash of light and the mandrake appeared, his beady red eyes blinking a few times before tilting his leafy head to the side. What was going on here exactly? He didn’t quite know. “We gotta hit the ground running, Reed. Let’s start off with Sleep Powder!” The Grass-Poison-type glanced up at his trainer and then nodded, firing off a cloud of spores up into the air, although only a few stray ones managed to waft over to the opposing Pokemon.

“Blast it away! Sonic Boom!” Wattson said. Magnemite tore through the air with sound waves, the powder wafting away uselessly. Thhe Magnemite still seemed angry from the swagger before and charged the Oddish of its own volition. “Ho! That’s a Tackle!” Wattson laughed as the Magnemite went to collide head-on with the weed Pokemon.

Melanie’s eyes widened. “Oh no it doesn’t! Reed dodge it!” she called out, watching as the tiny root tucked in its legs and rolled none too gracefully before hopping back up unscathed. “Nice one! Let’s hit Magnemite with another round of Sleep Powder! Mix in some Sweet Scent!” Another blast of spores flew out, although this time a soothing aroma seemed to swirl about it. Perhaps the Magnemite would be drawn to it?

“The same move, huh? Magnemite, Sonic Boom!” Wattson called out. The Magnemite, however, had a different idea. It charged headlong into the powder for another Tackle. The sleep powder was starting to get to it, but the momentum couldn’t be stopped.

“Grass Knot! Quick!” But the little Oddish couldn’t react fast enough this time. It got smacked hard by the angry magnet Pokemon’s body. “Get up,” Melanie called out, “get up and use Grass Knot!” Although it took a little effort to get the steel body off of himself, the Oddish wiggled out and sent a surge of green vines up from the ground at the Electric-Steel-type. With the sleep powder successfully forcing the Magnemite to slumber, it had no chance of going wrong and soon its entire body was covered in constricting, glowing, green vines.

“Hoo boy,” Wattson leaned back and stuck his hands into his pockets. “What a mess you’ve gotten yourself into there, Magnemite. You need to keep your distance!” The Magnemite couldn’t have heard its trainer during sleep, but its body seemed to relax somehow. With the vines restricting its movement, it wouldn’t be able to escape even if it were awake. The sleep was already starting to wear off though, the constricting vines crushing its body forcing it to wake up and smell the sweet scent.

“Now that’ you’re awake again, use Magnet Bomb on yourself! Cut the vines away!” The Magnemite quickly responded, it clearly was not as angry as it was before - the sweet scent from earlier might have calmed its nerves alongside Wattson’s words. After the smoke from the bombs cleared, the magnet rose into the air, out of reach of the little Oddish. “Sonic Boom!” Wattson called. Again the Pokemon charged up its magnets and fired another blast of sound down at the Oddish.

“Break through it with a volley of Grass Knot!” Melanie called out, suddenly feeling way more confident. The little plant Pokemon reacted kindly and sent a blast of vines up at a surprisingly rapid speed. They managed to deflect a small amount of the sound waves, but didn’t prevent them from striking the Grass-Poison-type. The vines spread and lashed out nevertheless, whipping the magnet instead of constricting it this time.

Magnemite was struck by the vines. Disoriented it fell to the ground just as the vines and sound waves combined. Once the smoke cleared, the Magnemite was clearly unable to continue. Ebony took a close look at it and raised her hand. “Magnemite is unable to continue!” She quickly became distracted when the Oddish also fell over. “Oddish is also unable to continue! The battle comes to a draw!”

Melanie almost cheered, but her eyes fell to the fallen Oddish. “Reed,” she murmured, grabbing the Grass-type’s Pokeball and calling it back to her side. “You did very well, little guy. Take a good rest.” She then quickly reached for Chopin’s ball. “Let’s finish this up, Chopin! I know you can do it!” She tossed the ball again and then Cyndaquil reappeared. He certainly looked more than worse for wear, but didn’t appear to be falling just yet. Would it be able to hold its ground though? Melanie sure hoped so.

Wattson rolled another Pokeball into his hands after returning and thanking Magnemite for its strength. “Luxio, you’re up to the stage!” Wattson threw his Pokeball out and the next pokemon appeared, its blue and black fur glistening. The moment it stepped onto the field it locked its gaze onto Cyndaquil and growled menacingly. It bent down its front legs and bared its fangs, intimidating.

But just when it seemed Melanie might give the first move yet again, Cyndaquil stumbled. It tried to regain balance but fell over. Clearly it had taken too much damage from its fight with Magnemite. Melanie and Merrick gasped. “Chopin!” Melanie cried out, rushing out onto the field.

Ebony stepped a little closer, frowning at the already-fallen Pokemon. “I thought as much,” she murmured before raising her hand. “Cyndaquil is unable to battle! The winner of this match is the Gym Leader Wattson!”

Gabriel recalled Regulus back and made his way back to the stands for the next battle, spotting Duke bothering one of the spectators. "Ugh, come on Duke," Gabriel groaned as he strode over to pick up his Piplup. "Sorry about that, he kinda does that when I leave him alone with other people." Minerva didn't seem to mind. "That's okay, he's just fascinated with my hair," she assured him. Gabriel sighed and took a seat to watch Melanie's battle. "Yeah well, don't let him imprint on you. If he thinks you're his mother, he'll never leave you alone," Gabriel let out a warning. "I suppose that would be troublesome. After all, I am already expecting one on the way," Minerva mused, raising up the egg she had been carrying.

"Really? What do you suppose is in that?""Either a Pokemon or breakfast, I'd assume.""...Right. Stupid question."

The two watched Melanie's battle in a comfortable silence, witnessing her get no farther than Gabriel did against the veteran gym leader. "Tough luck, looks like Wattson isn't handing out any badges today," Gabriel shrugged, rising up to leave. "Going to the Center to heal your Pokemon?" Minerva presumed, still facing towards the arena. "Yeah," he confirmed. "Gotta make sure they're ready for tomorrow."

"You're going to try again?""Not leaving this town without that badge.""You're just... going straight at it again?""How else am I going to win a badge if I don't keep battling?""Usually by re-evaluating stratagem and approach, while improving the stamina and conditioning of your Pokemon.""Uh...""Training, in layman's terms.""Huh... my uncle was half-layman. Training sounds like a lot of work, though.""That's sort of the point.""I see. Well I'll take that into consideration, I guess. Thanks."

Gabriel then left for the Center while Minerva situated herself back into the prior room. She wondered how Wattson was going to help her find work if he didn't have any available at the gym.

"Yeah! Let's go kick that old guy's butt!" Adrienne cheered, pumping her fist into the air, her Zubat chattering happily around her head. She was more happy about this guy agreeing to help her. All she had to do now was show off some of her good traits and she might score a friendship! He already heard her singing voice, though that was more of a rapping style than actually singing. The boy was clearly older than her, though she couldn't tell by how much. He didn't look half bad either, and his Umbreon's fur had a beautiful shine to it. She would have to make an observation on it, the fastest ways to a trainer's heart is through Pokemon, right?

"You seem like the quiet type, so I'm sorry if I annoy you at all," Adrienne started off with an apology - she knew how she got around new people. Some found her cute, others got annoyed quickly. She started noticing even the reserved ones won't get annoyed with her if she apologizes first. "I was going to let Momo, my Zubat, lead me out but I saw your Umbreon - Narcissus, right? His fur is absolutely gorgeous!"

Adrienne noticed Zubat starting to slow down and held her fist up. It flapped over to her and wrapped its stringy legs around her ring and pinky fingers. It closed its wings and hung there to rest. Adrienne giggled at it. She dug into a pocket to retrieve a small treat, letting the little bat nibble at her fingers. "Oh, my name's Adrienne, but you can call me Ada if you want. I absolutely adore Poison-type Pokemon, do you have any? I'd love to see."

She sat in a chair resting, while towing with one of her Mawile's feelers. The little one bat her hand away with a frustrated expression Selena thought to be cute. She did eventually stop and rubbed the Pokemon's head. From the sounds coming from the gym, the other battle was just ending. She'd be able to see Wattson again and talk with him. There was a lot she wanted to ask about, but of course she wanted to thank him first. But would he have time for that today? Maybe not.

The first trainer, Gabe, appeared first alongside another girl. She remembered the girl but not if she ever said her name. After their exchange, the boy left for the Pokemon Center. The girl hung around to wait for Wattson. She came here asking for a job, right? Maybe Selena should just let her have time with the gym leader today. There was always tomorrow, and it was too late to try and make any distance to the next city.

Selena got up from her chair and returned Mawile to her Pokeball. She left the building and headed towards the Center herself, tailing the boy but he was already out of sight. She soon entered the red-roofed building and saw him at the front desk with Nurse Joy. Selena shoved her hands into her pockets to keep herself from crossing them over her chest. She stepped a little closer.

Wait, what was she even going to say? Selena frowned, she couldn't remember the last time she willingly spoke to another person. It's been a long time. Has she ever gone out to try and speak with someone? She couldn't remember, but this boy, if she were any judge, would be too aloof to care how she approached him. So she just spoke. "That was a good fight." What else? Shouldn't she say something else? Her tongue got caught on the roof of her mouth. She put Mawile away so she wouldn't see Selena's attempts at conversation. Maybe she needed the Pokemon out for some courage instead.

"I've never seen a battle with a Gym Leader before. It was impressive."

Gabriel passed over a tray with Regulus and Sigma in their Pokeballs over the counter to Nurse Joy. The taste of defeat lingered on, but there wasn't much else to do except pick himself up. The girl with the Mawile he had met from before addressed him, commenting on his battle against Wattson. "Hm? Oh yeah, I've seen a lot of gym battles broadcasted on the Holo Caster, but this was actually the first time I've ever been in one," Gabriel replied. "And a beginner like me going up against a guy that's probably done this for longer than I've been born? I don't know what I was expecting." He let out a small, suppressed laugh. "It's no biggie. He said I could try again tomorrow, and I have until then to come up with a new plan of attack. All that battling made me hungry, so in the meantime me and Duke here are going to raid the kitchen and make some strawberry crepes," he pointed at the Piplup on his shoulder who was gently nibbling on his ear. "You want to join us?"

Strawberry crepes...? Selena busied her hands with her jacket, trying to think of any way she could avoid this situation. Her love for sweets was greater than her Mawile's. It took so much control just to avoid them, and now this boy was going to make some himself and offered her to join him. She had promised Mawile a frozen treat for later, but maybe this would be enough to satiate it? This way she didn't have to spend what little money she carried.

"Okay," Selena breathed out evenly, flattening her jeans. "I'll join you. Chikorita, come on out," Selena reached for the forest-green and brown Pokeball on her belt and let out the little one. "She's a very good helper whenever I decide to make something," she explained shortly. Plus having a Pokemon out would help Selena with her anxiety. "I'm Selena, by the way. Selena Moon."

"Selena Moon. Gotcha. I'm Gabriel Stiles," Gabriel introduced in turn. "Now with that out of the way, let's get down to business." He and Duke made their way down the corridor of the Center into the kitchen, where the surfaces were so spotless and shimmering that they casted reflections. Gabriel whistled, impressed. He walked over to the middle counter and addressed an invisible audience as if he were on television. "Ladiiiiiiiiiies and gentlemeeeeeeeen! Welcome to another installment of 'Cooking With Chef Stiles'! In today's episode, my assistant Selena and I will be making a classic Kalosian delicacy; crepes of the strawberry variety! Let's get cooking!" His showmanship in hosting a mock culinary show had more enthusiasm than his battling performance, it seemed.

"Duke!" Gabriel called to his Piplup who was rummaging through a cabinet. "Do we have the pre-made batter mix?" Duke raised a box of all-purpose batter over his head and chirped. "Good! Now throw that shit out! We do it live here in Chef Stiles' kitchen!" The Piplup huffed as it dunked the box into the waste bin next to the counter. "Let's gather the real ingredients!" Gabriel foraged through the cabinets, procuring a bag of flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract while Duke waddled and retrieved ingredients from the refrigerator one at a time, taking a carton of milk, several eggs, butter, a tub of whipped cream, and some cream cheese.

"Remember, Duke, no trying to hatch the eggs this time by sitting on them," Gabriel advised, taking a bowl and a whisk. "Assistant Selena, if you would be so kind, the strawberries must be sliced and prepared with the cream cheese and whipped cream. In the meantime I shall be preparing the batter." For a lazy slacker, his coordination with kitchen utensils composed an air of finesse that an average university student (or dropout) would lack at a first glance. Gabriel was truly an enigma in his own right.

The kitchen really was impressive. Spotless, not a single sticky thing nearby, but Selena was caught off guard when Gabe started talking - rather loudly, mind - to an unknown or non-existent audience. She felt lost in the moment and stood still, watching the penguin dunk the premade batter into a trashcan, the lid spinning in response to the weight of the thing. While she knew this stuff was for everyone to use, he was throwing something away - something that was for everyone. On the other hand, batter is so cheap and disgusting Selena found herself agreeing with the decision anyway.

Chikorita nudged her leg, bringing the confused girl back to her senses. "O-of course," was all she could say and hurried over to the other side of the table. After washing her hands and drying them on a spare towel, she set to work. Selena quickly found a knife and the grabbed the bowl of strawberries set aside and sliced them up into nice, even pieces. Chikorita used the vines around her neck to take the cream cheese and whipped cream in order to mix them together in a larger bowl.

Selena divided up the strawberry slices, making sure not to include the tops, and shoveled them in to the other bowl handful by handful while the little one held the bowl tight with one vine and the other vine mixing the ingredients together with a long spoon. The little one seemed to be enjoying herself. He takes this quite seriously, Selena thought to herself. Better to be as accurate as I can. C'mon Moon, you've made strawberry crepes before. This is no problem at all.

Sahara already set up the blanket for her and the boy. They just reached the other side of the lake and decided to stop in order to get something to eat. Nick had some food supplies on him, so Sahara decided to do him a favor and set something up while he dried himself off from a little mishap in the water. He saw a school of Goldeen and got so excited he fell off the raft. Luckily he was a good swimmer, so getting back on the raft wasn't an issue, though he was drenched from the experience.

Up until now, Sahara hadn't thought much of traveling with another person. Going around with her Pokemon was nice, but now that she's gotten a taste of companionship she wasn't willing to let it go. Not yet, anyway. Oldale Town was but a short bike ride away and they would be resting in the Pokemon Center before dusk.

The dark-haired individual finally showed himself, sopping wet towel in hand. He threw it over a nearby branch and sat down on the blanket. The little Torchic traveling with the trainer hopped over and tilted its head at the little wicker basket stuffed with little sandwiches. Before it could hop any closer its trainer snatched it and put it away. "Hold up, Torch, that isn't for you," he said.

"I have some bowls of Pokemon food over here." Sahara points to the three small bowls with the aforementioned food. Her own Pokemon were waiting quietly for Sahara's signal to go ahead. She was certainly happy about how well-behaved her partners were.

"Oh good. Lombre, Shinx, come on out for some lunch." Nicholas tapped two Pokeballs and the creatures came forth in a burst of light. "Guys, this is Sahara and her Pokemon. Be nice, alright? That means you too, Shinx." The little electric-type barked happily back at him.

"Your Pokemon are all so adorable," Sahara said as she let herself and her Pokemon start eating.

"I guess so," Nick said. "Torchic kind of chose me at Professor Birch's lab, and then I found Lombre a little while later, though it was just a Lotad at the time. Lotad was happy enough but I managed to win her over the classic way - by battling her. Shinx I found rummaging in a trash can in Mauville. It was so pathetic I kind of stole it from the city. I think he likes me."

"You decided against giving nicknames?"

"Yeah, I've never been very good making up names, and they don't seem to mind. I know it's all the rage these days, but I prefer not to. What about you? How'd you meet them?"

"I was in training to be a nurse, actually, but I had no interest in it. I spoke with Professor Sycamore in secret and he agreed to help me. I already knew which Pokemon I wanted before I even got to his lab. After getting Frodo, I came to Hoenn to escape the cramped imagination of my parents and teachers. I only just met Sam yesterday. He helped me escape from some human traffickers."

"Wait, seriously? Jeez, I didn't know they were still active here."

"You know them?"

"Heard of them, more like. After Team Aqua and Magma resolved their issues some of the more evil-natured among them split up into a different team."

"That explains the Poochyena."

"Yeah. Recently there's been some incidents north of Mauville. People disappearing, places where Pokemon should be are empty, and the sandstorms on Route 111 are so intense they're starting to escape the desert and mess with the roads. That's one reason why I'm going through Meteor Falls to get to Fallabor."

"And the human traffickers? What do you know of them?"

"They challenge young trainers to Pokemon battles with the "winner decides all" theme to it. Most young trainers don't think much of it, but these battles are rigged against their favor. The Pokemon these guys use are supercharged, though I'm unsure how. I just know you can't win against them unless you know their secret. I don't know what happens to the people who disappear, but it can't be good. It's better to avoid them completely. Since you've been made a target I doubt they'll let you go free."

"That's rather ominous..."

"I'm glad you mentioned it though. My Pokemon are pretty good, so I'll stick around and make sure you're safe. At least until I'm sure you'll be okay."

"Thanks, I really appreciate that."

Sahara finished up and collapsed her basket down. Full and filled with energy, she and Nick took to breaking down the picnic and returning most of their Pokemon to their Pokeballs. Once the duo was ready to move out, they started making their way towards Oldale once more, their minds consumed by thoughts of what lied north of Mauville.

With the new homemade batter ready, Gabriel began to fill a pan and heated the concoction until it smoothened with the edges starting to brown. Duke placed a large plate on the counter as Gabriel moved the batter onto the plate, and repeated the process until there was enough servings for the both of them and their Pokemon. "Ah, zat is how we do it in zee chef's kitchen!" Gabriel exclaimed with a hammy accent. "Now we must fill and roll, and ze crepes will be done!" Duke looked over at the bowl of leftover uncooked batter and began reaching for it with his flipper, only to have Gabriel take it out of his reach. "You can wait just a little longer," Gabriel scolded. "Selena, how's the filling coming along?"

Selena just couldn't keep up with him. First he's acting in front of an illusory television and now he's completely ignoring that and has a horrible accent? She didn't get it. When he asked her about the filling, she was just finishing with the last berry slices. "Chikorita, if you please," Selena said and the little one went away with stirring a few extra times before placing the bowlover where Gabe was waiting. Selena couldn't understand Gabe's method or attitude, but he seemed to be having fun with it. Chikorita also seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Much obliged," Gabriel nodded, taking a spreading knife and dipping it into the bowl. He brought his voice into a low, almost hushed whisper as if he were trying to achieve an ASMR effect. "Now, you really wanna get right in there," Gabriel went on in his almost uncomfortably sexual diction. "Just slather the cream onto the batter... give them a good ol' spread." When he finished covering all the crepe batter, Gabriel reached for the strawberries. "As everyone knows, you can't have cream without strawberries. You just top the cream off with the strawberries like so... ooh look at that, makes you want to lick it right off don't it? We'll just begin to roll these up... not too tightly now, give it some breathin' room..."

A few minutes more passed until Gabriel had finished preparing the crepes; it wouldn't be a surprise if Selena would need therapy years down the line for having to endure Gabriel's weirdness. "Now remember," Gabriel turned back to the invisible spectators. "These are crepes, not blintzes. Don't you ever make that rookie mistake or the proper authorities will have you executed on the spot. This has been Chef Stiles' kitchen, thank you for tuning in. Join us next week, when I wrestle a live Krookodile and grill it. Good night, and good eating."

With a bow towards the nonexistent camera, Gabriel grabbed himself a plate and scooped up two of the crepes, while Duke swiped one for himself. After a bite, Gabriel nodded in approval. "Excellent work, everyone. Excellent work."

Yeah, there was no use in even trying to keep up anymore. Chikorita plugged its ears with her vines, but once Gabe was done with his strange behavior the little one wiggled on the table, looking at Selena. She was waiting for her trainer to give the go-ahead. Such an incredibly obedient Pokemon, Selena hadn't thought how much the little one liked her before. Maybe not having a nickname would be fine.

"I'll take one then," Selena said, picking one up and taking a bite out of it. Her cheeks almost immediately went red and she couldn't stop her smile from going. So incredibly sweet. Absolutely perfect. "Go ahead, Chikorita." The little one cheered and delicately picked one of the crepes out with its vines, careful not to touch the others. It practically rolled around on the floor after taking a single bite, just like what Selena might have done if she didn't need to be so reserved.

Selena released Mawile from her Pokeball next and offered it the other half of her crepe. She didn't want to take all of the crepes for her Pokemon when Gabe was the one to make them. Selena didn't mind sharing with her Pokemon either. Mawile's eyes went big at the taste of the sweet. "Like that, huh?" Selena couldn't help but smile when the little one raised its hands to her, as if asking for another. Chikorita placed the other half it had in Mawile's hands then, which the little steel-type went away with. She then hopped over to hug Chikorita. "Aww, you two are just too cute."

Gabriel and Duke ate a handful more of the crepes, before Gabriel began gathering the utensils and bowls and dropping them in the sink for a rinse. "You can have the last one if you want," Gabriel notified Selena, as he began washing the supplies. He had now simmered down back into his detached state, while Duke was playing with the suds from the dish soap. "Think I might turn in early after this, gotta wake up in the morning to try out this 'training' that other girl was talking about." When the cleaning was done, several other trainers passed by, heading for the upstairs to turn in for the night. Their conversation could be heard through the hall.

"Did you hear about that girl who chased off Slick Mitch and his goons?"

"Yeah! She's a real hero! I heard she rode in on a giant Arcanine wielding a golden battleaxe!"

"I heard she was an angel sent down by Arceus to save the Mauville Apartments."

"I heard that she just fought Mitch's Grimer one-on-one with her Bulbasaur."

"What? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. No, but the truth is she's a superhero. She flew in and blasted them all with her laser-beam eyes. It's true, I was there."

"I heard that she fought them all off in an epic sword fight. After she beat them all, she said, 'Those of you lucky enough to have your lives, take them with you. However, leave the limbs you've lost. They belong to me now.'"

"Bro, you got that off of 'Kill Beedrill'."

"Oh yeah."

Gabriel was intrigued by the tales. "Wow... I wonder what it's like to meet someone like that."

"I suppose I'll take them, then." Selena murmured. She helped out with cleaning everything up - Selena hadn't really expected to make so much mess but already told herself before she would help until he decided to leave. "Vulpix, Electrike, come on out." Selena released the other two Pokemon in her possession onto the floor. She cut the last crepe up with a knife - which she immediately cleaned afterwards - and took up both halves in each hand. "Here. One half for both of you- ow!" Selena jerked back her hand after the electric-type nearly bit her fingers off from grabbing the treat. It swallowed the thing whole and started after the other half.

It was quickly brought to the ground. Selena pressed her fingers into its back, forcing it down on the floor. "No," she said firmly. "That is not how we operate. You've had your half and a couple fingers already, that's enough." When it started charging its fur at her, she immediately brought out its Pokeball and returned it. The slight danger passed, Selena turned her fingers around to look at the markings. It didn't draw blood, at least.

Vulpix nudged its head against her hand, licking her fingers as if trying to make up for the Electrike's behavior. It hadn't eaten the crepe yet. "Don't worry, little one." Selena cooed, brushing the fur on its head back. "You can eat. Go ahead." The Vulpix was so much more gentle with her. There was a lot about it she didn't quite understand, but if Electrike's behavior was anything to go on - it was not a good thing.

"Jeez, are you alright?!" Gabriel asked, startled by the sudden act of defiance. "Does this happen all the time? It's not... rabid is it?" Duke furrowed his brow and poked at Gabriel's arm. "Right, right... sorry. I've just never seen a Pokemon act unruly like that to its trainer before. I can get you some ice for your fingers, if you want." In truth, he did not know what else to offer, as it was the go-to solution for everything by the underpaid nurses back in school. Selena seemed to be fine for the most part, anyway. Gabriel wasn't used to watching other trainers interact with their Pokemon, and naturally assumed disobedience wasn't part of the norm.

Melanie held Chopin close to her, biting her tongue to keep herself from blubbering. She couldn't believe things had gone badly so soon – it seemed like losing would have been impossible based on how things were going earlier that morning. She would have sat on the battlefield for a very long time had Merrick not come up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him hesitantly and a few tears spilled down her cheeks; the smile on his face stung but his touch was tender. Melanie could not speak. He knelt down next to her and pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay, Mel," he crooned, reaching for Chopin's Pokéball and placing it firmly in her hand. "You did your best. That's all anyone could ask for, you know that." He helped her up to her feet but did not let go. He kept her supported and made her turn to face Wattson who undoubtedly had some sage-like advice for her. "That was quite the battle, Mr. Wattson," Merrick called out, "I was on the edge of my seat the whole time thanks to you and Mel!"

– – – – –

Narcissus had continued to lead the way. Percy kept his eyes focused on the Dark-type's movements. The last thing he wanted was to run into one of the thrice-damned invisible walls... again. He did, however, hear what the younger girl was saying to him – although his gaze did not shift, he smiled in response. "Not a bother at all," he answered, "and thank you. I've been with Narcissus for a long time – I'd like to think I take good care of him."

She continued on to tell him her name. For a moment, he thought about ordering Narcissus to halt to give her his proper attention. First impressions could be tough at times; introductions were immensely important. As much as he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, he would not compromise the present opportunity to form an amicable relationship. Even if she did not seem like the type to get caught up in such things. Percy's eyes flicked in her direction and he held his hand out. Narcissus paused on a dime. Percy nodded in her direction.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ada. My name is Perceval, but I prefer Percy." He offered her a civil smile. Perhaps not the most open or energetic but definitely friendly. "I don't have any Poison-types, I'm afraid," he gave Narcissus another hand signal and the newly formed group began navigating once more, "I probably won't until I or someone else discovers a Poison-type Eevee evolution." The words passed off his lips in an almost sterile fashion. He wet his lips and tried to think of a way to turn the phrasing around or, at least, explain himself. "I'm a Pokémon researcher, I guess you could say. My primary focus is on evolution and adaptation. Eevees have been the most excellent candidates for my studies." It still sounded very technical. He frowned. At least his case was made.

The old man scratched the back of his head. Luxio looked back at its trainer and sat down, waiting for him. Wattson wasn't sure how to put this battle. Magnemite was taken down, but it also took out both of Melanie's Pokemon with it. On top of that, Melanie's Pokemon weren't exactly what he would call ready for battle. "Well, come on back, Luxio. I'll need you tomorrow for sure." He says, returning Luxio to its Pokeball without much celebration. He strolled over to Melanie and Merrick, whom had joined her on the field. Ebony sat and waited at the referee's block.

"Well, you had some good ideas, but I don't think you were ready for a battle on this level." Wattson started. He gave her his biggest smile, at the very least he ought to help her cheer up. "Your Cyndaquil has spirit, and I like that. But your Pokemon aren't the only ones you need to train. You've gotta train yourself too. If you lose control over your emotions and bark orders at your Pokemon, they will become confused or frustrated, letting your opponent an easy way to take control of the battle.

"It seems to me you haven't figured out your method of battling yet. It takes a while to develop your own style, but you need to be trying out different strategies and see what works best for you. Our Champion, Steven, is having a battle tomorrow with Glacia - it will be broadcasted live, I recommend you watch all of it and pay attention to Glacia and Steven's Pokemon, particularly Glalie and Metagross."

Wattson gestured to Ebony, who stood up and came over to him. "I have something to ask you, Wattson," she says.

"Of course, Ebony. Lets go back into the main room, I have someone to find a job for." Wattson invited Merrick and Melanie back into the main room with him. They would be able to go about their own business now with the battle over while Wattson addressed Minerva. "Young lady," Wattson called over to the blue-haired girl. "I'm terribly sorry for the wait. What was it you needed me to do for you?"

"Okay, Perce." Adri said, already deciding on her own name for the guy. She took and shook his offered hand, giggling a little at the gesture. All that wasn't necessary, Percy seemed way to uptight for a simple conversation. Researching Eevees was pretty cool, though. Adri hesitated for a moment and shook her head a little. "You don't uh...have the psychic one on you, do you?" She asked nervously. She knew every Psychic and Poison type Pokemon recorded only for one reason each. She loved Poison types. She hated Psychic types. They were all so creepy - and dangerous to her precious babies.

"That's one Eevee evolution I'd rather not see." Adri shivered a little. Very, very few Poison-type pokemon could handle the Psychic type. She wasn't afraid of Psychic-types, just hated them and their stupid powers. She had no problems with Ground-types. If only Eevee evolved into a Ground-type instead of a Psychic-type. That would be so much cooler.

The young woman sat alone in the lounge for quite some time before the others finally arrived in. For the entirety of the wait she remained still on the sectional sofa as if she herself were a decoration of the room. Her patience was remunerated when Wattson had now given her his undivided attention. "That's okay, I didn't mind," Minerva reassured him. "I came looking for work, and you said you would help me find something in the city after you had finished conducting your business with the others."

Minerva looked down at the egg she was holding when she noticed it wobble a bit; it seemed almost ready to hatch. "I hope I'm not keeping you from anything important."

"I'm fine," Selena said. "Its fangs are sharp but it didn't break my skin, at least." There was no blood, but Vulpix still licked at the bite marks on her hand. The little one really was such a sweet thing. Selena gathered the little fox up in her arms and bowed her head slightly to Gabe. "Thank you for the crepes. I want to spend some time alone with these little ones of mine. I think I'll stick around to watch your match tomorrow with Wattson as well." Selena was both curious and - for once - actually excited to see a match. She hadn't bothered to watch Pokemon battles before, not as a professional sport anyway. All those times she might have watched the champion of Johto were dashed when her father decided to come home drunk, as he did every night and kick her to her room.

"Be seeing you." Selena left with her little entourage at her heels, Vulpix nestled snugly in her arms. She wasn't sure what she should do now. Training her Pokemon seemed like a good way to start, but did she even intend to go fight the League? Or did she want to do Contests? Mawile was interested in Contests after hearing about them and Selena promised her they would go check it out. Doing both was out of the question, right?

"Nurse Joy," Selena spoke up once she stopped at the counter. The young red-haired girl turned and smiled at her.

"What can I help you with?" She was kind. So kind without even knowing Selena's name.

"If I wanted to register for the league, would I be able to do contests as well, if I end up being interested?"

"Of course you can. Are you familiar with the rules for the Pokemon League and the Contest Spectaculars at all? As long as you follow them you'll have no problems registering for either. But its strange a trainer like you hasn't registered yet."

"I didn't want to at first, but I might be reconsidering. Mostly thanks to this little one here." Selena glanced down to Mawile, who then smiled back up at her. "I still need to think about it, but thank you for telling me. I'll be going now."

"Okay, well let me know if you want to register. I'll keep some badge and ribbon cases ready in case you change you mind." Nurse Joy waved goodbye to her and Selena left the Center. The courtyard was the only place in Mauville with a view of the sky and a wide area for Pokemon to play. She let her Vulpix down so it could run around with Chikorita and Mawile a while. The fire fox seemed happier to play with them than it did with Electrike.

Selena dug into her pack, retrieving her painting supplies and taking out Vulpix's Pokeball. If the fox was going to be a part of her friends, it would need a prettier home. She set to word, using orange and red to paint fire across the top of the ball. In gold she painted a tiny fox with a single tail in the center. This way she wouldn't have to get rid of the paint if she ever decided to evolve Vulpix with a Fire Stone.

"G'night then," Gabriel gestured a single wave as he shifted his hands into his pockets. "I'm probably gonna go upstairs and watch a cheesy action movie until I pass out. Explosions and corny one-liners, gotta love 'em." Duke hopped onto Gabriel's shoulder as he marched up the flight of stairs into the suites. Once in an available room, Gabriel hooked up his Poketch to the television and browsed the online collection of films. He tuned in to a movie about a detective trainer who followed the mysterious disappearings of innocent bystanders.

"Tell you what," one of the villains on the screen sneered. "You have a Pokemon battle with me, and the winner gets to decide your fate." Gabriel couldn't help but begin to crack up. "Pffffft! Ahahahahaha! Who the fuck says that?!" The detective trainer clicked a pokeball before delivering his retort. "You're on. One way or another, I'll find those kids," a brief pause before he turned towards the camera. "Or die trying." Gabriel fell out of the bed in laughter, pounding his fist on the ground. "It's too much! I'm dying!" The remainder of his night consisted of him failing to hold in his laughter until the end of the movie, where he managed to situate himself back on his bed and drift off.

"Of course not!" Wattson declares, his big smile returning to his face. He gestures for Minerva to follow him to a computer, talking all the while. "I remember someone telling me they were looking for someone to work for them. I think it was a waitress position. One word from me and I can get you an interview with the man, but I can't guarantee you the job."

"Hey, Wattson?" Ebony called over, frowning a little when he waves at her dismissively.

"Not now, Ebony, after I'm done."

"But I have something-"

"I already told you, not right now. You'll get your turn once I'm done with the young lady here."

"I want to leave the gym!" Ebony shouts. Wattson turns his head, his brow fixed together. Ebony threw down her arms and stood firm against his gaze. "I want to go out on a journey. She can have my job. Er, part of it anyway. I'll come back if a machine needs to be fixed."

Wattson paused for a moment, then broke out into laughter. "Well, well! Looks like a position opened up at my gym after all! Ebony, you only ever needed to ask and I would let you go travel. I was hoping you would a year ago! Don't worry about me or the gym, so you just go ahead and enjoy your travels." He turned to Minerva next. "Well, young lady? How would you like to work with me at my gym after all? Ebony's main job was fixing the machines that keep the gym running, but I can do that just as well. You'll be refereeing official matches and some other small tasks."